Mar. 20.
General pleasure will be felt at the advertisement of the Chefoo Harbour Improvement Commie-sion which we publish to-day, announcing that the plans for the long delayed breakwater have met with official approval, and calling for the requisite tenders. Although Mr. Montague Heart, speaking as chairman at a recent meeting of the Chefoo General Chamber of Commerce, foreshadowed this possibility, there were probably few of his hearers who, with the recollection of past delays, dared hope for so early a realization of ths promise. © It will be recalled that the construction plans were submitted to Peking in May, 1914; after which for full eighteen months no further move was made, although the special taxes agreed to for the construction of the breakwater continued regularly to be collected. It is, we believe, an open secret that German influence was principally, if not wholly, respons ible for the hold-up. Eventually the aid of the Brtish Minister in Peking was invoked, and in lasa than one week that which for a year and a half had been declared impossible was achieved. The plans were—officially approved. That the Commn.+ sion had had full authority to adopt these plans without reference to Chinese officials in Peking was a subsequent discovery, which will prove of guidance in respect of the present invitation for tenders. There appears good ground for the belief thet the Commission is as competent to close negotiations for the loan, the construction and both combined, without further risk of delay in applying to Pekang, as it was to adopt the plans, Responsibility for the loan has been fully accepted by the Chipese' Government, a fact of which financiers may duly take note, as the request for a Chinese version is merely formal, although, the chairman of the Commission being a Chinese official, compliance with this request will naturally be a help. What we would emphasize is that the Chinese Government's responsibility to Chefoo does not end in accepting responsibility for the loan. There have been delays in the past! which that Government might have prevented. There may be attempts to revive such delays or invent others in the future. And the Prosperity of Chefoo, nay its Jrigina from
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.